SPN URGES OYO STATE GOVERNMENT TO PAY PENSIONERS ALL THEIR ENTITLEMENTS NOW!
31st Oct, 2014
SPN URGES OYO STATE GOVERNMENT TO PAY PENSIONERS ALL THEIR
ENTITLEMENTS NOW!
Press statement
*State leadership of NLC AND TUC must organize a 24-hour strike and mass action against non-payment of all outstanding pensions and gratuities as well as non-implementation of N18, 000 minimum wage!
The Oyo State Chapter of Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condemns the continuous non-payment of pensions, gratuities and other benefits meant for the pensioners by the APC-led Oyo state government.
We call on the state leadership of both Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to jointly name a day for a 24-hour strike backed up with mass action in solidarity with the pensioners. We urge them to immediately commence serious mobilization of the rank and file workers and retirees for a struggle for unconditional payment all outstanding pensions and gratuities as well as full implementation of the N18, 000 minimum wage for the entire workers in the state public civil service.
Since 2010 different categories of primary school retirees across the state have been groaning under a backlog of unpaid pension arrears. These include those who are owed 20 months unpaid pension arrears (September, 2010-January, 2013) while other categories are those who are owed 19 and 9 months pension arrears (Septembers, 2010-December, 2012) and (September, 2010- June 2011) respectively. Also the gratuities of pensioners that retired from 2009 to 2011 are yet to be paid.
All this is in addition to the fact that, the Oyo state government has not only failed to pay both the September and October pension for all pensioners but has also refused continuously to implement the 6%-15% pension increase for Oyo state retires as well as 10% compensation for pensioners who were forcefully retired in 2002.
The act of continous denial and refusal of retirees their entitlement by Oyo State government after they have committed the productive part of their lives to serving the state has made retirement to mean a sentence to poverty to many of the senior citizens who have no alternative mean of livelihood. The condition of many of these retirees is so pathetic that many live from hand to mouth. Those who still have their children in schools cannot pay the outrageous fees being charged across the country. Those who are sick and infirm can hardly afford the exorbitant hospital bills charged in the country including the Oyo state public hospitals.
It is so disheartening that all this is happening to the senior citizens in the state where the political officer holders continue to enjoy jumbo pays and maintain their opulent lifestyle despite the purported lack of resources as the reason for nonpayment of pensions and non-implementation of national minimum wage in full.
SPN sees this so ridiculous and laughable though not surprising because it further shows how insensitive successive governments in the state including the current APC-led administration have been to the needs of the poor working people in the state.
It should also be recalled that since 25th March, 2011 when the N18, 000 national minimum wage was signed as law, the current APC-led government in the state has not only refused to implement the minimum wage but has also sacked thousands of workers at different occasions on flimsy excuses. This is in order to weaken the resolve of workers to continue the agitation for minimum wage implementation.
In light of this, SPN once again calls on the leadership of the NLC and TUC to stop its criminal silence over the plight of workers in the state and retiree whose union incidentally is an affiliate of NLC and organize a joint struggle of workers and their retirees counterparts for the implementation of N18000 minimum wage and payment of all outstanding pensions arrears.
SPN also calls for the formation of a pension fund to be managed by elected representative of retirees, workers’ unions and government representatives in order to guarantee living pension and its prompt payment to all retiree while guiding against looting pension funds. This will be against the existing obnoxious new pension policy that is only meant to enrich private pension managers while absolving government of its commitment to adequate and living pension, all at the expense of poor retirees.
Bamigboye Abiodun (Abbey Trotsky)
Oyo State Secretary, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN)
08033914091